Syracuse Crunch owner Howard Dolgon joined me "On the Block" on The Score 1260 to discuss the big news announced on Thursday that the Syracuse Crunch have switched affiliations and signed on with the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending a two-year run with the Anaheim Ducks.

Post-Standard Photo, 2011

The Crunch and Lightning have a three-year deal with options to extend beyond that.

Tampa Bay's AHL affiliate last year, the Norfolk Admirals, won the Calder Cup and completed one of the greatest seasons in AHL history. The Admirals won 28 straight during the regular season and finished with 70 wins in 94 games overall, including a 43-3 mark in its last 46 contests.

When it comes to why the Crunch and Tampa Bay came together, Dolgon told me it pointed to the philosophy held by their front office, led by GM and former NHL star Steve Yzerman and Assistant GM Julien BriseBois.

"Well, it's very simple and it is the same thing with their coach (Jon Copper). They want to win and they believe that winning helps develop. You like hearing the word 'winning' first and not somewhere down the list in conversation. They are big believers in surrounding their kids with character veterans. Just look at their lineup. Their captain, Mike Angelidis, a character guy. Certainly a guy who was on our radar. We viewed him as a (former Cruncher Zenon) Konopka type player.

They made moves during the season to make their team better and that was a team that was doing really well, in first place all season, yet they made a couple critical moves to make team better for the playoffs."

During the conversation below, Dolgon also provides more details about some improvements that the Lighting asked for at the War Memorial, namely a new gym and coaches offices, and an event on July 2 to unveil the team's new logo.

If there is one thing about Howard Dolgon that always stands out, it is that he is a very passionate guy who likes to think big and sell big ideas (think Mirabito Outdoor Classic).

Dolgon told me that the campaign to unveil the team's new logo will be "unlike anything we have seen in the team's history", adding that opening night, set for October 13, is already scripted and will "blow people away. It is going to be memorable."